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The Big Break-Down of Biomes

Another fantabulous presentation by Mrs. Battistone

Let’s Start at the Top!

Tundra

This biome is found just south

of the North Pole – northern

Canada, Northern Europe

and Asia.

Tundra

Average Precipitation:- less than 25 cm a year! (6-10 inches)

- this is mostly snow

Average Temperature:

The yearly average is -18 °F

(Winters can be as cold as -94° F and

summers can be as warm as 54° F)

Tundra ANIMALS

Some common animals adapted to the tundra are…

Musk Oxen

Polar Bear

Caribou

Ptarmigan

Why?

TundraPLANTS

Some plants you might find in the tundra are…

Small shrubs

Mosses

Lichens

TundraPLANTS

Notice there are NO TREES in the tundra!

That’s because the soil is frozen almost all year around – it’s so frozen, it’s called

PERMAFROST!

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What is happening to the Tundra?

Humans build roads, fences and pipelines that disturb the migration routes of the animals there. This can lead to overgrazing, which makes food become a limiting factor!

Let’s move south to TAIGA / Coniferous Forest

This biome is found just south of the tundra(50-60 degrees latitude)

Taiga

Average Precipitation:

30 – 75 cm a year

- A mix of snow, rain and dew

Average Temperature:

- In the summer, 20-70° F

- In the winter, -65° to 20° F

TaigaANIMALS

Some animals you might find in the taiga are…

Snowy Owl

Lynx

Moose

TaigaPLANTS

Some plants you might find in the taiga are…

Mosses Conifers (evergreen) trees!!!

What’s happening to the taiga?

Humans like to make paper out of evergreen trees so we cut them down, taking out entire forests!

This makes space a limiting factor because animals are losing their habitats!

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Let’s move ontoDeciduous Forest

This is our biome (VA), covering most of the eastern USA, western Europe and parts of Asia.

Deciduous Forest

Average Precipitation:

75 – 150 cm a year

Average Temperature:

- between 30° and 90° F

Deciduous ForestANIMALS

Here are some animals you might find in our biome…

Black Bear

White-Tailed Deer

Squirrel

Deciduous ForestPLANTS

Here are the plants found in our biome…

Oaks

Maples

Evergreens

Deciduous Forest

Remember, deciduous forests are full of deciduous trees –that means that they change colors and lose their leaves in the fall and winter.

What’s happening to the Deciduous forest?

The human population keeps growing so we keep cutting down our forests to make place for

suburbs and cities

We then pollute the areas that haven’t been

de-forested already!

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Let’s move into the Grasslands!

Grasslands are mainly found in the middle of the USA and a large part of South America.

Grasslands that are found in Africa are known as savannas

Grasslands / Savanna

Average Precipitation:

Between 25 and 75 cm of rain a year

Average Temperature:

Between -40° and 70°

Grasslands / SavannaANIMALS

Here are some animals you might see on the grassland/savanna…

Zebra

Prairie dogs

American Bison

Grasslands / SavannaPLANTS

Here are some plants that you will see in a grassland or savanna…

Wheat

Corn

Grasses

What’s happening to our grasslands?

Many grasslands and savannas are suffering from

overgrazing – too many domestic

animals are eating the grasses and are

ruining the soil.

Let’s move onto our wettest biomeTropical Rainforest

This biome is found in South

America, parts of

Africa, and India. This is

the biome found mainly around the Equator!

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Tropical Rainforest

Average Precipitation:

125-660 cm of rain a year

Average humidity is between 77% and 88% all the time

Average Temperature:

68° through 93° F

Tropical RainforestANIMALS

Here are some animals you may see in the tropical rainforest…

Tree Frogs

Macaws

Monkeys and Lemurs

Tropical RainforestPLANTS

Here are some plants you may see in the tropical rainforest…

Orchids and Epiphytes

Buttresses

What’s happening to the Tropical Rainforest?

Similar to other biomes, the tropical rainforest is the

source of many resources that humans

use – unfortunately, that means that we are cutting down the

rainforest (An acre and a half

a second) and taking away trees and habitats for

other animals!

Last one! Desert!

Deserts are found in the southwestern part of the USA, in the middle of Africa, and in parts of the

Middle East

Desert

Average Precipitation:

15 – 25 cm a year

Average Temperature:

- 55° to 110° F

(yes – some deserts can be very cold –

especially at night)

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Desert ANIMALS

Here are some animals you might find in the desert…

Gila Monster

Roadrunner

Snakes

Desert PLANTS

Here are some plants that are found in the desert…

Saguaro Cactus

Joshua Tree

Brittle Bush

What’s Happening to the Desert?

As humans, we tend to take resources away from the environment – in this case, we take water away from the animals and plants in the desert!